Network with your community. Families can meet other families to meet up with for play dates, set up child care exchanges, kiddie car pooling, and to make new friends in your neighborhood. Nannies can also meet nannies near them to meet up with for play dates or find back up for your employers for when you are ill or take vacation time.

Get answers to parent and nanny related questions. Post a question on our community forum at any time and get answers from other members.

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Download free nanny and nanny share contracts to be sure you are covering all your bases and protecting your relationships.

Same day of care nanny shares (most common) are when two families employ a nanny to care for their children together, at the same place and time. Typically, each family pays only 67% of the nanny’s regular single-family rate, saving 33% each. The nanny makes 33% more for the extra responsibility of working for more than one family.

It is common for families’ hours to not always match up perfectly. During non–nanny share hours, the nanny should be paid at an agreed-upon single-family rate.

Opposite day of care nanny shares are when two families use the same nanny on opposite days. Each family pays their regular single family rate. This is most commonly used to retain a desired nanny who requires more hours than a part-time or seasonal family can provide.

Examples:

Part-time matchup: One family uses the nanny Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and the other family on Tuesday and Thursday.

Seasonal matchup: One family that needs only summer-break care for a school-age child matches up with a family where one of the parents is a teacher and doesn’t need nanny care for the summer months.

When it comes to nanny sharing, the topic of “host location” comes up, meaning, at which family’s home will the childcare take place? Some families alternate, but sometimes a family might need the care to take place exclusively outside of their home (for example, a parent works from home), or sometimes the hours or location make sense for one family or the other to host exclusively.

A care exchange is when families trade off care for one another’s children instead of paying for care (sometimes called “care cooperatives” or “care co-ops”). On Via The Village, family users can add their interest in this to their profile if they want to find other local families to set up exchanges.

This can work great for stay-at-home parents needing to run errands sans children or for before-and after-school care needs!

On Via The Village, nannies can find backup buddies. If the employer is agreeable, backup buddies can provide care backup on days the nanny needs off or is ill. Parents can also find their own backup care through Via The Village, but this a valuable asset for nannies to be able to offer their employers!

It is recommended that the nanny introduce the backup buddy to the family beforehand to ensure all parties feel comfortable with the arrangement.

Wouldn’t you love to know if anyone on your daughter’s soccer team or in your son’s religious ed class would be interested in taking turns with pickup and drop-off? Via The Village families can add their interest in kiddie carpooling and search for others who are interested. You just might make life a little easier Via The Village!